4 questions “Funnel the Spec” to one product type.
Start at the top, follow the path down, end on the recommendation. Designed for distributors to send a customer ahead of a quote call.
Question 1
What's driving this air-prep quote?
New machine drop · standard air-prep build
Question 2a
Does the equipment nameplate call for lubricated air?
If No · modern non-lubricated equipment
Recommend
FRL Combination Unit (F+R, no L)
The default machine drop on any modern automation. One body, one mount, lowest install labor. F+R only — most equipment built since ~2010 is non-lubricated and a lubricator on it fouls sensors and contaminates product.
If Yes · legacy or impact tooling
Recommend
FRL Combination Unit (full F+R+L)
Old-style impact wrenches, jackhammers, sand rammers, heavy-duty legacy cylinders, lubricated paint guns. Full three-stage build; metal bowl on construction-site service. Verify against the equipment nameplate — never default to the L.
Modular train · stages need to live apart or get sized differently
Question 2b
Is the build new, or is this a single-stage swap on an existing assembly?
If New modular train · custom configuration
Recommend
Standalone Filter (+ standalone R, + optional L)
Build the train stage-by-stage when the F needs a finer element grade than the standard combo carries, when one drop needs two regulated pressures, or when stages live at different points in the run. Element grade is the spec that matters — 5-micron for general, 0.01-micron coalescing for paint / lab / instrument-grade.
If Single-stage swap on existing modular FRL
Recommend
Standalone Filter, Regulator, or Lubricator
Replace just the failed stage on a modular F+R+L without ripping out the rest. Add a modular coupling kit, match the body size and brand, the assembly stays in service. Standalone R is the most common swap.
PLC-commanded pressure · recipe, tension, or test profile
MRO · service the FRLs already installed
Question 2d
Which side of the recurring relationship — wear parts or the attach gauge?
If Wear parts · element + bowl gasket + drain
Recommend
FRL Service Kit
Standing reorder by FRL series, sized to the plant's FRL count. Elements every 6-12 months; gaskets every 2-3 years; drain assembly every 3-5 years. Match the kit to the EXACT series (SMC AC vs. AW vs. AF vs. AR), not just the brand.
If Attach gauge · the universal failure item
Recommend
Replacement Pressure Gauge
Every regulator on every quote carries one. Spec to 1.5× operating pressure, glycerin-filled on any vibration install, stainless case for washdown. Ships by the box of twelve as MRO stock — one standard SKU covers most plant installs.
If the customer doesn't know whether the equipment needs lubricated air, the equipment documentation decides — not the buyer, not the reflex. Age is the cheap proxy: anything built 2010 or later is almost certainly non-lubricated. The expensive failure mode is selling an L on equipment that doesn't need it — the customer's first PM call is cleaning oil out of sensors and valves, traced back to the FRL you sold them. Two other universal rules behind the tree: standalone regulators always install downstream of a filter (no internal filtration; particulate kills the diaphragm in months), and a combination FRL always mounts vertically with the bowl hanging down (tilted = drain fails, oil delivery starves).
The air-prep question is decided at the machine inlet, one drop at a time. Get the configuration right once and the rest of the machine has clean, regulated supply to run against.
SPC distributor playbook FRL · how to quote in one call
